You learn a lot about a person when you see them face a tragedy. It can bring out the worst in a person- or it can bring out the best.  As I watched my friend’s deal very publicly with their personal tragedy I saw grace, forgiveness and was awed by their testimony of Christ shining through.  Although I felt the need to mourn and to comfort them in their time of loss- yet I was comforted by them.  The peace I felt when hearing Nathan talk on TV of his daughters being together was profound yet simple.  Attending the viewing and finally being able to wrap my arms around Nathan and Brenda was healing for me- although I hope it helped them at least a tiny bit.  I don’t know that I will ever be able to sing Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam again without thinking of Becca and Rachael, but the funeral was amazing and powerful.

At the viewing and funeral they had these ribbons like the one above in Becca and Rachel’s favorite colors.  They were all over the neighborhoods and  even some local newscasters wore yellow and had yellow and pink papers that their notes were on that night when they reported the on the funeral.  It was amazing to walk into a chapel filled to the brim to honor the too short lives of two beautiful little girls.  Brenda and her girls were at my house the week before they died for book club.  Becca didn’t want to leave- she wanted to stay and play some more.  I remember telling her she could come back and play another time.  Those words keep running through my head.  I’ve put my ribbon from the viewing on the corner of my laptop screen to remind me that I need to seize the moments with my girls.  To do it right now instead of  ‘in a minute’.  Because I never know when ‘in a minute’ or ‘maybe later’ won’t come.

I’ve also been pondering the following verses in Mosiah 18 a lot lately (Mosiah is in the Book of Mormon).

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

  9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

 Since the death of my Dad I’ve become pretty good at mourning with those that mourn. My heart literally breaks and I ache for those who are mourning because I’ve been in a similar position of losing a loved one.  I try to comfort those in need of comfort and I feel like I fail because I can’t ‘fix it’.  Of course nothing short of bringing those whom we love  back to us will fix the holes left in our hearts- but when we bear one another’s burdens they do lighten- I’ve experienced the lightening of my burden through the love and prayers of others- and I hope to help others in the same way.  I do know that through the atoning power of Jesus Christ HE will lighten our burdens and fix what seems to be a gaping hole in our hearts.  Without His love we would not be able to cope.

I’m far from perfect and I’ve got a lot to learn and to improve upon, but I hope to honor Rebecca and Rachel by being a little better, by doing a little more and by following the gracious example of their parent’s.